Holiday Season = Cold and Flu!

We all love Thanksgiving gatherings of family and friends! Then we head out for Black Friday madness and tree lighting celebrations, and more shopping, and Christmas parties, and more family gatherings. All these great events can result in big increase in our risks for a cold or influenza. But you can protect yourself. Here’s how:

Give yourself a break. “Shop till you drop” leaves us fried, frazzled and fatigued. Get plenty of sleep. Take a brisk walk outside. All these things will recharge you. And help keep your immune system ready to go!

Eat clean. Sugar impairs your immune system and increases general inflammation in the body, making you (again) higher risk for those Holiday Flu Blues. So, one Christmas cookie is fine, a plateful is just going to make you feel sluggish and possibly worse, not too mention, sooner or later, you’ll end up looking a lot like Old Saint Nick!

Get your flu shot. No, it can’t protect you 100%, but it’s a lot better than facing influenza with an immune system on zero. The flu shot is like revving the engine at the starting line. Your immune system is warmed up, primed and ready to pounce, making you able to fight at the first virus that comes your way.

Wash your hands. Frequent hand washing or hand sanitizer will physically remove the vast majority of virus particles. If you’re at a gathering or a store, keep some antiseptic hand gel with you. They make tiny bottles for just that purpose!

If you get sick despite all that, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We will do our best to get you seen, do a rapid influenza test (only takes 10 minutes!) and start getting you better quickly.